Sutjiadi Shines in 4-2 Setback to No. 3 Bulldogs
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s tennis continued its arduous opening weeks in the Southeastern Conference, falling in a 4-2 clinch decision to the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday evening. With the loss, Kentucky falls to 12-6 on the season and 1-5 in Southeastern Conference, while Georgia advances to 13-5 in the regular season and is flawless in conference play.
The Wildcats continued to dominate in doubles play, notching their 15th straight doubles point in dual action. The No. 3-ranked team in the country of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi downed the No. 28 pairing of Ellen Perez and Mariana Gould, 6-2. On the No. 3 Court, the Wildcat pair of Kirsten Lewis and Akvile Paražinskaite also took down their opponents by way of a 6-2 decision, dismantling Kennedy Shaffer and Laura Patterson.
Georgia took a 3-1 lead with three straight singles wins to gain a quick edge on UK. Both Ravita and Paražinskaite were downed in 6-2, 6-1 sets on Courts 3 and 4, respectively. Ravita fell to No. 27 Caroline Brinson, while Paražinskaite was bested by No. 79 Silvia Garcia. On the No. 1 court, Justina Mikulskyte fought a hard battle against the No. 7 singles player in the nation, Perez, but ultimately fell in matching 6-4 sets.
Sutjiadi was the highlight of the dual match, with her No. 2 singles match against No. 56 Shaffer going to extra sets. The junior was downed 6-4 in the first but stormed back for a 7-6(5) victory in the second. Sutjiadi then had a dominant showing in the deciding set with a 6-2 third-set win. The match was sealed, however, when Adachi fell to Gould on the No. 5 court in matching 6-2 sets.
Kentucky will remain at home on Saturday, hosting Tennessee in a noon dual at Boone Tennis Center.
#3 Georgia 4, Kentucky 2
Singles (Order of Finish: 4, 3, 1, 2, 5*)
1. No. 7 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. No. 76 Justina Mikulskyte (UK), 6-4, 6-4
2. No. 49 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 56 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA), 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2
3. No. 27 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Nadia Ravita (UK), 6-2, 6-1
4. No. 79 Silvia Garcia (UGA) def. Akvile Paražinskaite (UK), 6-2, 6-1
5. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Mami Adachi (UK), 6-2, 6-2
6. Kirsten Lewis (UK) vs. Laura Patterson (UGA), 6-4, 2-2, abandoned
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1, 3*)
1. No. 3 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 28 Ellen Perez/Mariana Gould (UGA), 6-2
2. Nadia Ravita/Justina Mikulskyte (UK) vs. Caroline Brinson/Silvia Garcia (UGA), 5-3, abandoned
3. Kirsten Lewis/Akvile Paražinskaite (UK) def. Kennedy Shaffer/Laura Patterson (UGA), 6-2
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky women’s tennis team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info, notes, and behind-the-scenes updates, follow the team on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis and on Facebook.
